Fuel measuring distribution and control means



'Sept; 16, 1958 I A. c. PETERSON 2,351,953

FUEL MEASURING DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL MEANS' Filed Dec. 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l 16, 1953 A. c. PETERSON 2,851,953

FUEL MEASURING DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL MEANS Filed Dec. 2. 1955 /5 2o /9 f R 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Paten FUEL MEASURING DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROLMEANS Adolphe C. Peterson, Minneapolis, Minn. Application December 2, 1955, Serial No. 550,803 11 Claims. (Cl. 103- 42) My invention relates to means for distributing and measuring fuel as distributed in an internal combustion engine, and it is therefore entitled-.-Fuel Measuring, Distribution and Control Means.

The chief objects of my invention are to provide a form of such means which shall be more cheaply constructed and more easily maintained in operating condition, than such means as have been utilized for the purpose as indicated. Such means as have been devised and utilized for fuel distribution, especially in reciprocating piston type, high compression engines, have been expensive in construction, and have required intricate parts in its make-up, and these parts have been difiicult to manufacture in an adequate degree of precision which would result in accurate performance. It is an especial object of this present invention, to provide a means which is not constructed of such intricate parts that it is difficult and expensive in manufacture and in adjustment. The accuracy of this unit for fuel distribution and volume control, depends upon a few small parts which are very readily manufactured, with a suilicient degree of precision in their performance, and the net result in the use of this device, is that the initial cost of construction is lower and also, that the cost of maintenance of the unit in use is lower. It is also an especial object to provide such a device for use-in engines of relatively small horsepower, so that distribution of fuel for cylinders of an engine can be utilized in engines of the type which usually require carburetors, and so that such use in such engines will enable use of fuel distribution, by injection in or at the cylinder, in such engines as automobile engines, truck engines, tractor engines, whether of the high compression Diesel type orthe lower spark ignition compression type. In general the object is to provide an improved fuel distribution and control means, which may be used for engines, whether of the reciprocating piston type or the gas turbine type, where fuel is distributed in combustion chambers.

The principal devices and combinations of devices comprising my invention are as hereinafter described and as more particularly defined in the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention in two difierent forms, like characters refer to like parts throughout the views, in so far as practicable. Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view chiefly in vertical cross section through the axis of the operating cam-shaft and the axes of the plunger cylinders of a unit, this section being on a plane on the line 11 of Figure 2, some parts being in full side elevation, and some broken away, this view showing only the pump and fuel metering means, the manual control unit being shown in another figure.

Figure 2 is a vertical section at right angles to the plane of the section of Figure 1, this section being on the line 2.-2 of Figure 1, some parts being broken away.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view through a nozzle means which may be used in an acompanying or associated engine utilizing the fuel unit and control, there IQQ being one of these nozzle means for each cylinder of an engine, or each combustion chamber or combustion section of an engine.

Figure 4 is a section through the operating elements of the manual control unit which may be used with the fuel distributing and metering unit, this Figure 4 being an illustration of that detail unit only.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the combination of the fuel distributing and metering unit with the manual control means, such as may be used in engines for use in automotive vehicles, tractors, trucks, and other devices where manual control is required.

Figure 6 is vertical partial section and partial vertical elevation view of a modified form of my unit for fuel distribution and metering, this form being one including an automatic governor control means for the fuel metering, the section being on the same line as that of the Figure 1, some parts being broken away.

There is first described the unit which is the fuel metering and distributing device, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and now referring to those figures, the numeral 1 indicates a cylinder or plunger block, 2 a cam-shaft casing attached to the plunger block, 3 plunger cylinders, four in number in the plunger block 1, 4- individual plungers four in number, one in each cylinder 3, 5 cams on a cam-shaft 6, 7 bearings in the block for the cam shaft 6, ti fuel intake ports one to each cylinder 3 on which automatically seating ball type valves a may seat, 10 fuel discharge ports on which indivdual ball type valves '11 may seat, 12 a fuel conduit formed in the block 1 and common to the cylinders 3, 13 a common cylinder head attached to the plunger block 1, 14 a driving element fixed or formed on the cam-shaft 6 and by which the camshaft may be placed in driving engagement with any complementary means for driving it and which is driven by an associated engine. The fuel discharge ports 10 are individually separate in their discharge, each discharging to its associated fuel distribution or injection pipe 15.

The fuel intake and fuel discharge ports above designated are formed in the plunger block 1 and the cylinder head 13, but offset side-wisely from the cylinders 3, that is in a plane at one side of the plunger block, at the rear side of the sectional view in Figure 1. The cylinder head 13 has formed in it, four screw threaded openings, one above each cylinder 3, and in each of which there is inserted a metering plug 16 each of the latter having formed in it a valve seat 17 and a metering passage 18 connecting from the valve seat to the interior upper end of the associated cylinder 3 above its plunger 4, the metering passage 18 forming a connection from the interior of the cylinder 3 to the chamber 19 formed immediately above the valve seat, there being an associated ball type valve 20 placed on the valve seat 17, this valve normally closing the metering passage 18, so that there will be no flow upwardly through the metering passage 18 except as hereinafter described.

It should be especially noted that all the four metering passages 18 are formed in the process of manufacture, to be of exactly equal capacity for flow of fuel, and that these metering passages must be very precisely formed so that each is of exactly the same cross-sectional diameter. This equality in the metering passages 18 is of especial importance in the functioning of the means as a metering means for fuel distribution, so that, accordingly these metering passages must in manufacture be formed with the most precise equipment for precisely forming such passages. The equality of these metering passages, in connection with the pressure changes as hereinafter described, is the means for measuring fuel distribution.

In the cylinder head 13 the openings wherein the metering plugs 16 are inserted, that is the bores in the head 13, are extended upwardly from the chambers 19, and in the upper ends of these bores, which are screw threaded internally, there are inserted to form a leak-proof fit therewith, four screw threaded plugs 21, one in each bore, one over each chamber 19, and these plugs 21 serve the double purpose, of closing the top ends of the bores and also of centrally locating the ball type valves 20, an inverted cup-shaped depression being formed in the underside of each plug 21, the depressions being of such depth upwardly that the valves 26 may have the freedom of movement which will permit opening of the passages 18, while at the same time, the valves 20 are confined to the space just above the metering passages 18 and the valve seats 17, so that the valves 21) will definitely seat themselves automatically on their valve seats 17, under the conditions, as hereinafter described, when flow is not to be permitted.

The chambers 19 are connected each with the others by interconnecting passages 22 formed in the cylinder head 13, and all of these passages and chambers 19, together form a common release conduit which is designated in general by the letter R. This release conduit R has permanent connection by the passage 23 with a control valve cylinder 24 which latter is formed in a lateral extension of cylinder head 13, as shown at the right of Figure l. The control valve cylinder 24 has reciprocable therein the valve piston 25 which has formed with it or connected with it the depending needle valve 26 which is a pressure control valve, and that valve seats on a valve seat formed in a screw plug 27 inserted in the block 1 immediately below the valve piston 25. The screw plug 27 has the release passage 28 formed in it to permit flow, when the needle valve is unseated, from the valve cylinder 24, that is from beneath valve piston 25, to the small chamber 29 which is an idling pressure chamber, and the latter has an aperture 30 from it to the fuel supply chamber 31, the aperture 30 being normally closed by the needle valve 32 which is the idling pressure relief valve and is yieldably seated by the pressure of a coil spring 33, the latter having a pressure which is not more than that pressure which will, as hereinafter described, result in maintenance of a pressure of fuel supply or control which is the pressure necessary for maintenance of idling flow of fuel to an associated engine. The pressure of spring 33 may be somewhat adjustable by means of the adjustment screw plug 34.

The fuel supply chamber 31 is permanently open at 35 to the fuel conduit 12, a fuel supply conduit to the fuel intake valves, and the chamber 31 is also open to a bypass passage 36 which is supplied with fuel by means of a fuel supply pipe or means 37, which may be connected with any fuel reservoir (not shown) or by means of any means as commonly used for supplying fuel to an injection means, at pressure of gravity or any low pressure sufficient for supply of fuel to the plunger cylinders, in the normal operation of the fuel pump means. The by-pass passage 36 is also connected through the by-pass valve passage 38 with the valve piston cylinder 24 beneath the valve piston 25, this valve passage being normally closed entirely in engine operation, by means of a needle valve 39 closed, manually, by means of the screw threaded valve stem 40 and its head 41. This latter valve is provided to permit complete release of pressure from the common release conduit R when it is desired to bring the associated engine to a complete halt in operation.

The valve piston cylinder 24 is at its upper end closed by screw plug 42, and the cylinder space above the valve piston 25 is thus closed except as it is connected through a pipe 63 with a control unit which is designated generally by the letter C and is shown in specific detail in Figure 4.

Referring now to the manual control unit, designated as C, and shown in Figure 4 in detail, this unit is a unit which is or may be separate from the pumping unit which has been described, and it may be located at any place convenient for use as a manual control unit, preferably as a foot controlled unit. This unit has a liquid supply reservoir which may contain lubricating oil or any liquid, but preferably lubricating oil, and this resewoir 44 connects by passage 45 an automatic suction opened valve port 46 and valve 47 with the pump bore 48 wherein there is reciprocable the pump piston 49. The pump piston 49 by link 50 is connected with the pedal lever 51, pivoting connections 52 being provided in the linkage. The pedal lever 51 is pivotably mounted at 53 in bracket 54 and the opposite end of the pedal lever is connected by the link 55 to a piston type valve 56, pivoting connections 57 being provided in link 55. The valve 56 is slidable in a valve bore 58 formed in the unit casing generally designated as 59, and in this valve bore the piston valve may reciprocate so that when the valve 56 is pulled, outwardly, that is upwardly in Figure 4, the valve closes the port 60 connecting the reservoir 44 with return by-pass pipe 61, and so that when the valve 56 is moved inwardly, that is relatively downwardly, in Figure 4, the valve port 62 will be interposed between the pipe 61 and the port 60 to thereby open the pipe 61 to the reservoir, and thus permit flow or release of oil under pressure from the pressure pipe 63, and thereby cause a release of pressure such as will cause substantial cessation of flow of fuel from the fuel distributing means to the associated engine, as hereinafter described, but not complete cessation of that flow.

The pump bore 48 may discharge the lubricating oil under pressure of the pump piston 49, through the discharge port 64, the yieldable discharge valve 65 under the pressure of coil spring 66 permitting such discharge to the pressure pipe 63. Under the conditions when the pump piston 49 moves downwardly to expel oil to pipe 63, the valve piston 56 is pulled upwardly to close the port 60. The valve piston 56 in its reciprocation, does not open the port 60 to the pipe 61 except when the pedal lever 51 is permitted to ascend (Figure 4) to its most extreme upward position, and whenever the pedal lever 51 is depressed to begin its downward movement, the port 60 is first closed by the valve piston 56, so that in subsequent movement further downwardly of the pedal lever 51, the pump piston 49 may then serve to compress and discharge oil under pressure from pump bore 48 to pressure pipe 63. The pedal lever 51 is yieldably moved upwardly (Figure 4) by the coil spring 67 and the latter is sufiiciently strong so that it will normally open port 60 by valve piston 56, whenever the weight of manual pressure by the foot or hand on pedal lever 51 is removed. The reservoir 44 is open at its top by a port 63 to atmosphere so that there is no pressure on the liquid oil in the reservoir 44.

Referring now to Figure 5, there is here shown the as sociation of the fuel metering and distribution device, with the control device C, the associated engine 69 being diagrammatically shown and being any type of engine such as a two cycle diesel type engine, a four cycle Otto cycle engine, and this engine will have an injection nozzle .means, generally denoted as J, and specifically shown in illustration of one in Figure 3, located at each cylinder of the associated engine, the injection nozzle means being so located that it may discharge either directly into the associated engine cylinder as in diesel engines, or being so located that it may discharge in any location immediately adjacent a cylinder and into a port means discharging with air into the engine cylinder, as is Well known in some constructions. The injection nozzle means, Figure 3, has a needle valve 70 with valve piston 71 formed therewith, a yieldable spring 72 normally seating the needle valve 70, and injection pipe 15, which is the pipe 15 as so designated in Figure l, and in Figure 2.

In Figure 5, the fuel metering and distribution unit is shown as having its driving element 14 (as in Figure l) in permanent engagement with the spur gear- 73 which is fixed on the crank shaft or other shaft 74 of the associated engine 69, and the fuel metering and distributing unit, that is its cam shaft 6, is driven at a speed coordinate with that of the engine shaft 74, and this may be at an equal speed for a two cycle associated engine, orhalf-speed for an associated four cycle engine, or at any appropriate speed for an associated engine such as a gas turbine engine. The pressure pipe 63 of the manual control unit C is the pressure pipe 63 of the fuel metering and distributing unit as shown in Figure 1, whereby the pressure of the pump bore 48 as foil is discharged to pressure pipe 63 and accumulated in the latter, is thus communicated to and effective in the upper chamber of the valve piston cylinder 24 so that the pressure, whatever pressure there may be in pressure pipe 63 is the pressure which is effective on the upper side of the valve piston 25. to thus seat the needle valve 26 on its seat.

The pump plungers 4, each have formed. on its lower end, a flange 7S and there is disposed between this and the associated faces or ledges 76 of the plunger block 1, an associated coil spring 77, there being one of the latter for each plunger 4, and the springs have sufficient force, so that each plunger 4 is yieldably depressed downwardly for its suction stroke by the spring 7'7, when the associated cam on cam shaft 6 does not forcibly elevate the plunger 4. In any construction and use thesupply of fuel by means of the fuel supply pipe 37 may be under a light pressure, considerably less than that of the pressure of fuel discharge to the injection pipes, and this light pressure may be effective in the plunger cylinders to assist in the forcing of the plungers 4. downwardly in their suction strokes. That assisting pressure, however, must not be so great that it will cause opening of the fuel injection nozzle means, at any engine cylinder, or combustion chamber, except at the pie-determined correct time for that discharge.

Having described the construction of my device, the general operation is now more generally described. it should be noted first, that the cams of the cam shaft 6 are, in any particular construction, formed according to the especial use of the device, andfor the usual type of diesel engine, the cams may be each formed so that there is Contact with the lower end of a plunger 41 and forcing of that plunger in its discharging stroke, otherwise called compression stroke, during say approximately a period which is from twenty to forty degrees of the rotation of the cam shaft 6.

The reservoir 44 will have placed therein an adequate amount of lubricating oil or other liquid, and the fuel supply pipe will also be connected with any adequate supply of fuel of any type such as gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil or diesel oil, at cetcra. Assuming. that the operator or pilot, desires to commence operation of the associated engine, he first sets the hand valve 3%? to (30111- pletely close the by-pass port 3%, so that fuel will not be released back to the supply line, and having started the associated engine by any means such as may be provided for that purpose, he may now depress the pedal lever. 51 one or more times, whatever is necessary to provide an adequate control pressure for efficient starting, and thereupon the fuel means will take up its regular cycle, which is as follows. Each plunger 4 will, at the predetermined time of the cycle of the associated engine cylinder, be

forced by its associated cam upwardly into the plunger cylinder 3, and that will result inthe forcing of fuel in the plunger cylinder 3 through each of the two fuel outlets of the cylinder 3, or through only the one outlet to the injection pipe 15 associated.

When the pressure in pressure pipe 63 is at its highest necessary pressure, the port controlled by valve piston 25 and needle valve 26, will be completely closed and the pressure in the chambers 19 will be maintained at a pressure which is at least as high or is higher than the highest pressure of fuel discharge through a pipe 15, and there will therefore be no discharge at all by wayof the fuel metering passages 18 to the chamber 19 and the common fuel return or release line R, since pressure of oil in valve piston cylinder 24 holds needle valve 26 in place on its seat, and no fuel can thus escape to the fuel supply line, and the pressure of fuel in chambers 19 can then rise to its fullest pressure, and therefore all fuel as pumped by the plungers 4 will at each stroke be forced through the associated injection pipes 15 to the engine cylinders associated.

Assuming the engine is operating under its regular cycle, the operator or pilot or driver, may now control the power of his engine by use of the pedal lever 51, for that purpose. If the power is too great he permits the pedal lever 51 to rise to its uppermost position, whereupon the port 69 is opened permitting by-pass discharge of the oil to reservoir 44 from the pressure pipe 63, and this results in loweringof the control pressure. in the upper end of cylinder 24 and this in turn results in opening of the port closed by needle valve 26, and fue will then be permitted to flow from the pressure chambers 19 to the return by-pass, and since this pressure is lowered, the pump plungers 4 will now force at least a part of the fuel as pumped, through the metering passages 13 to the chambers 19 and back to the fuel supply line. This return flow of fuel, at least in part, will be thus permitted in each cycle of the cam shaft 6. But to resume or again increase operating pressure of fuel discharge, the operator may now, or at any time, depress the pedal lever 51 to close the release port 60, and he may further depress the pedal lever 51 to pump oil from reservoir 44 into the pressure pipe 63, and thereupon the pressure upon needle valve 2 6 will increase and the fuel pressure in chambers 19 will increase to increase fuel flow through injection. pipes 15, or to again cause full discharge through the injection pipes 15 to the engine 69.

At any time the flow of fuel through the metering passages 18, which may otherwise be called metering release passages, will depend upon the pressure of oil on valve piston 25 to close needle valve 26 on its seat, and this will result in the increase or diminishment of fuel pressure in chambers 19, and this will result in increase or decrease of the pressure on the ball type valves 20 to prevent flow from metering release passages id, and as this flow is permitted to increase or diminish, the flow of fuel for discharge through injection pipes 15 is increased or decreased, as may be necessary, for the control of. the power output of the associated engine 69.

The injection nozzles I may be associated With any gas turbine, and in such use, the injection pipes or discharges llS-may deliver in any manner as may be desired, or singly or collectively into one or more combustion chambers of a gas turbine. Any discharge nozzle means may be used in this connection.

In operation of the associated engine, at times such as when the operator desires the engine to idle but not to provide power for work, the pedal lever 51 is permitted to rise to its uppermost position and thereupon the needle valve 26 is permitted to rise from its seat permitting flow to the idling pressure chamber 29;, but flow from that chamber will be restricted to maintain the pressure which is necessary to procure a sufficient injection of fuel to the engine cylinders for idling of the engine, but whenever that pressure is exceeded, the idling pressure relief valve 32 will move from its seat to permit release of fuel pressure from the idling pressure chamber 29.

Referring now to the modified form of my device which is shown in Figure 6, this form has the plungers, plunger cylinders, fuel discharge valves, fuel inlet valves, and the pressure release valves, as in the first form, and has the cam shaft with its cams as in'that form, but the means for controlling the pressure of the fuel in the chambers 19 is different and iuthis form does not'have the valve piston 25 and its needle valve 26, and does not have the idling pressure relief means as in the first form, but instead this form has a governor controlled pressure release means, which is speed controlled and will now be described.

There is mounted on the cam shaft 6, at one end thereof, brackets 78 on which are pivotably mounted weighted governor levers 79, each one of which has the heavy ball weight 80 on the end of one arm. The opposite ends of the governor arms or levers 79 will, under excessive speed of the cam shaft 6, contact the small disk 81 on rod 88 to thrust the lower end of a lever arm 82 which is pivotably mounted at 83, and when there is such contact and movement of the disk 81 rightwardly in Figure 6, the upper opposite end of the lever arm 82 will contact the head 84 of the needle valve 85 and pull that needle valve 85, against the pressure of the yieldable spring 86, to open the port 87 which is a pressure release port, and some of the fuel under pressure in the pressure chambers 19, that is in the common pressure conduit R, will flow therefrom to the fuel supply chamber 31, and this will result in relief of pressure in the common pressure conduit R so that some of the fuel pumped by the plungers 4 will flow back to the fuel supply line, and therefore there will be a lesser fiow from the plunger cylinders through the fuel discharge ports to the fuel injection pipes 15, and this in turn results in lowering the speed of the associated engine which drives the cam shaft 6. The fuel by-pass means designated by the numerals 36, 39, 40, 41, is the same for the modified form 'as for the first form described, and enables the operator to cause cessation of operation of the associated engine, as in the first form.

The governor means, as is shown in Figure 6, is shown as one type of governor means, speed controlled, and this is merely illustrative of such a speed governing, and any such means may be used in the device for the purpose as indicated. The cam shaft 6 has at its one end, a driving element 14, such as a spur gear, by which the cam shaft 6 and thereby the plungers, may be placed in operative connection with any driving element of an associated engine, such as the element 73, as shown in Figure 5, so that the cam shaft 6 will be driven at a speed proportionate with the speed of the crank shaft 74, or other shaft, of an associated engine, as is stated in the description of the form illustrated in Figures 1 and 5. The pressure controlling means, as illustrated in Figure 1, including the pressure responsive piston 25 and its cylinder 24, is of a size, in area exposed to pressure upon the piston 25, such that it is considerably larger in such area than the diameter of the bore of the manual control pump 48, 49, so that manual effort required for each stroke of that manual control pump, will not be excessive, and so that several or a number of strokes of the manual control pump (Figure 4) will be required to modify the pressures in the cylinder 24 above piston 25, to embrace its full pressure range, so that there may be effective control of the fuel delivery, whatever the maximum'pressure there may be in the cylinder 24 on piston 25, to effect the maximum discharge of fuel to the pipes and the associated engine.

While I have shown particular devices and combinations of devices in the illustration of my device, I contemplate that other detailed devices and combinations of devices may be utilized in the realization of my invention, without departing from the spirit and contemplation thereof.

What I claim is:

l. Ina fuel metering and supply means: an'operating shaft and a plural number of plungers each reciprocable in a plunger cylinder and each in operative association with the operating shaft to be moved in its associated plunger cylinder periodically in the cyclic operation of the operating shaft; a common fuelsupply means and a connection between it and the head end of each plunger cylinder for flow of fuel to the plunger cylinder; a fuel discharge means, including a port, communicating with the head end of each plunger cylinder adapted to dis charge fuel therefrom under pressure to an associated engine; a common release conduit, release port means one from the head end of each plunger cylinder to the common release conduit, each release port means having a predetermined restricted flow capacity as compared with the first mentioned ports substantially exactly equal to the flow capacity of any one of the other release port means; a plural number of non-return valves one corelated with each release port means and between the head end of the plunger cylinder and the common release conduit to prevent return flow from said common release conduit to the plunger cylinder; and a common elease port releasing fuel from said common release conduit, and a control means in association with said common release port to control the release of fuel through said common release port from said common release conduit.

2. The means as specified in claim 1, and in combination: the said control means to control the release of "fuel through said common release port including a speed measuring device in operative connection with said operating shaft to be driven in proportion to the rotational speed thereof, and means actuated by said speed measuring device to effect diminishment or increase of the flow through said common release port from said common release conduit.

3. The means as specified in claim 1, and in combination: the said control means to control release of fuel through said common release port including yieldable pressure means responsive to pressure in said common release conduit and operatively connected with a common release valve associated with said common release port to open or close said common release port; and means for modifying the effective resistance on said pressure responsive means to thereby effect diminishment or increase of the restraint on said common release valve.

4. The means as specified in claim 1, and in combination: the said control means to control release of fuel through said common release port including yieldable pressure responsive means responsive to pressure in said common release conduit and operatively connected with a common release valve associated with said common release port to open or close said common release port; and a manual control means to effect variation of the yieldable pressure of the pressure responsive means, the last named means including a manually operable pump in conductive connection with said pressure responsive means for increasing or decreasing pressure on said pressure responsive means.

5. The means as specified in claim 1, and in combination: the said control means to control release of fuel through said common release port including yieldable pressure responsive means responsive to pressure in said common release conduit and operatively connected with a common release valve associated with said common release port to open or close said common release port: and a manual control means to effect variation of the yieldable pressure of the pressure responsive means, the last named means including a manual cyclically operable pump in conductive connection with said pressure responsive means for increasing or decreasing pressure on said pressure responsive means.

6. In a fuel metering and supply means for an engine having a plural number of combustion divisions: an operating shaft and a plural number of plungers each reciprocable in a plunger cylinder and each in operative association with the operating shaft to be moved in its associated plunger cylinder periodically in the cyclic operation of the operating shaft; a common fuel supply means and a connection between it and the head end of each plunger cylinder for fiow of fuel to the plunger cylinder; a fuel discharge means, including a port, communicating with the head end of each plunger cylinder adapted to discharge fuel therefrom under pressure to a co-operative combustion division of the associated engine; a common release conduit; release port means one from the head end of each plunger cylinder to the common release conduit, each release port means having a predetermined restricted flow capacity as compared with the first mentioned ports substantially exactly equal to the flow capacity of any one of the other release port means; a plural number of non-return valves one co-operative With each release port means and between the head end of the plunger cylinder and the common release conduit to prevent return flow from said common release conduit to the plunger cylinder; and a common release port releasing fuel from said common release conduit, and a control means in association with said common release port to control the release of fuel through said common release port from said common release conduit.

7. The means as specified in claim 6, and in combination: the said control means to control the release of fuel through said common release port including a speed measuring device in operative connection with said oper ating shaft to be driven in proportion to the rotational speed thereof, and means subjective to said speed measuring device to effect diminishment or increase of the flow through said common release port from said common release conduit.

8. The means as specified in claim 6, and in combination: the said control means to control release of fuel through said common release port including yieldable pressure means responsive to pressure in said common release conduit and operatively connected with a common release valve associated With said common release port to open or close said common release port; and means for modifying the effective resistance on said pressure responsive means to thereby effect diminishment or increase of the restraint on said common release valve.

9. The means as specified in claim 6, and in combination: the said control means to control release of fuel through said common release port including yieldable pressure responsive means responsive to pressure in said common release conduit and operatively connected with a common release valve associated with said common release port to open or close said common release port; and a manual control means to effect variation of the yieldable pressure of the pressure responsive means, the last named means including a manually operable pump in conductive connection with said pressure responsive means for increasing or decreasing pressure of said pressure responsive means.

10. The means as specified in claim 6, and in combination: the said control means to control release of fuel through said common release port including yieldable pressure responsive means responsive to pressure in said common release conduit and operatively connected with a common release valve associated with said common release port to open or close said common release port; and a manual control means to effect variation of the yieldable pressure of the pressure responsive means, the last named means including a manual cyclically operable pump in conductive connection with said pressure responsive means for increasing or decreasing pressure on said pressure responsive means.

11. In a fuel metering and supply means for an engine having a plural number of combustion divisions; an operating shaft and a plural number of plungers each reciprocable in a plunger cylinder and each in operative association with the operating shaft to be moved in its associated plunger cylinder cyclically in the operation of the operating shaft; a common fuel supply means and a connection between it and the head end of each plunger cylinder for flow of fuel to the plunger cylinder; a fuel discharge means, including a port, communicating with the head end of each plunger cylinder adapted to discharge fuel therefrom under pressure to a cooperative combustion division of the associated engine; a common release conduit; a plural number of passages one from the head end of each plunger cylinder to the common release conduit; a plural number of non-return valves one cooperative with each said passage between the head end of the plunger cylinder and the common release conduit to prevent return flow from said common release conduit to the plunger cylinder; and a common release port from said common release conduit having control means in co-relation with said common release port to control the release of fuel through said common release port from said common release conduit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,177,120 Schaeren Oct. 24, 1939 2,438,251 Pedersen Mar. 23, 1948 2,502,989 Rathbun Apr. 4, 1950 2,522,890 Peterson Sept. 19, 1950 2,708,880 Peterson May 24, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 413,475 Great Britain July 19, 1934 

